Ronald McFerrin Presents: Cassius' Crazy Trivia Time!

Fact #1:
Even though it seems that dressing differently is a sign that a mage works for a different elder or faction, in truth, all the magi you have ever met were dressed in official Star Point Observatory robes - not a single frock was manufactured by any faction outside of the observatory itself. Almost every mage wore purple-and-orange robes, as any normal magi.

To address probable disagreements:

* The "magi" who could turn into wolves, that were found under the hanged city in the cove (where you took a lady of those people hostage after blowing her up with astral specter and illusions... and the poor thing hanged herself...) indeed wore dark, unusual robes, but were actually not magi at all. They were normal followers of the Lycanthrope who were purposefully exposed to a magically engineered virus that gives them the ability to change they're forms. If you remember, you have read a document found in Stewart Byron III's chambers that depicts lycanthropy as an epidemic in Stewart's homeland. This epidemic was caused by the original, pre-engineered virus.

* The magi in the orange robes that you battled at the Battle of Stonecross Valley (where Edmund died) were wearing very old Starpoint Vanguard uniforms - these were the uniforms of the standing army of Starpoint Observatory, back when the realms were not yet solidified and such a defense force was needed.

* Lucius himself was wearing black robes. These too are official Starpoint regalia [מלבושים]. As you may recall from Severus' tale, his younger brother was sentenced for execution by the observatory's elders for some heinous crime. At the last moment Severus stepped in to free his brother and the two of them fended off the other magi. After a very important mage named Longinus was killed in the skirmish, Albus (Izidor's old mentor) suggested that the two brothers will be banished instead of executed, and they took the deal. A black robe is the ceremonial death garment for magi, which they are dressed and buried in when they die. Being a target for execution, Lucius was forced to wear one when he was chained to the gallows [גרדם]. Ever since that day he wears the black death garment as his signature cloak.

The story behind Lucius' garb is particularly interesting. I think it's a very cool explanation for his robes. However, you imply that everyone outside Starpoint has only a limited set of robes. What do they do when they need new recruits? Or when a robe is destroyed?

By the way, I thought regalia referred only to objects which signify royalty, not simply any kind of wearable object.

Any kind of wearable object that signifies status (at least that's how I saw it used), the original term relates to royal garments.

Its not that they have a limited number of robes, what I meant is all the robes are of the same color. Because of the Lycanthropes, the orange magi and Lucius, it seems as though different factions of magi wear different colored robes, but they don't. If a robe gets too old or is destroyed, they weave new ones. Lucius, specifically, gives great care to his robe because of what it means to him.